The present invention relates generally to a medical device assembly and more particularly to a system and method for placing a ureteral stent.
Ureteral stents are typically placed within a cavity of a patient such that one portion of the ureteral stent is located in a kidney of the patient and another portion of the ureteral stent is located in a bladder of the patient. This is typically achieved by placing a guidewire within the patient, sliding the ureteral stent on the guidewire, and then using a push rod to force the ureteral stent along the guidewire into a desired position within the patient.
Ureteral stents often cause discomfort and pain to the patient once the ureteral stents are positioned within the body. Using soft ureteral stents can reduce the amount of discomfort and pain caused by the implanted ureteral stents but, with conventional placement methods, the stent must be sufficiently rigid such that it can be forced or pushed along the guidewire during implantation without bending or buckling. Thus, there is a need for new methods and devices for placing soft or otherwise flexible ureteral stents.